Wednesday, January 10, 2007

London Library in Dire Straits

St. Bride Library in London's Fleet Street district is in need of a major financial boost to fund a restoration of its building, the BBC reports. The library, which opened in 1895, houses nearly 200 collections related to printing, including "thousands of valentines, greetings cards, menus and posters, more than 1,100 printed ballads from the 19th century and the largest collection of British type specimens in existence." Letters from Charles Dickens to his printer and a rare copy of Johnson's Dictionary are among the items held by the library.

The foundation which runs the library says
£7 million is needed for the restoration and redevelpment project; to date, just £410,000 has been pledged.

If you're so inclined, you can support the library here.

(h/t fade theory, who also links to a video clip from the BBC about the library).